This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Jeff Garlin reached his breaking point after a tumultuous chapter on “The Goldbergs.”
The comedian, who exited the hit ABC sitcom in 2021 amid allegations of misconduct on set, opened up about his mental health crisis, his struggles with bipolar disorder and the treatment that helped him rebuild his life.
Garlin revealed he had planned to take his own life and even told a loved one the exact time he intended to die during his appearance on SiriusXM’s “Where Everybody Knows Your Name.”
“The last scene I ever filmed was me with Tim Meadows, Dave Koechner, and Troy Gentile, who played my son. And it essentially was a Pizza Hut commercial. No one told me,” he said.
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Garlin said he confronted the production team after learning the scene doubled as a pizza advertisement without his knowledge. When producers explained that the money would help hire another writer, he questioned why the corporation behind the show couldn’t cover the expense itself.
The actor refused to participate in the promotional scene and instead insisted that producers film his character leaving before the pizza appeared.
“I left, and I knew I’d never come back to that set again,” he said.
But walking away from the set didn’t mark the end of Garlin’s troubles.
Garlin said a producer later visited his home and asked what it would take to convince him to return to the show. Although he had no desire to go back, the comedian demanded a substantial raise and a reduced schedule of just one workday per week. To his surprise, producers agreed.
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However, Garlin admitted the arrangement came at a cost.
“And so I had resentment from my castmates, not as much the crew, but there was great resentment from some of them,” he admitted. “I didn’t know it at the time, though. I was naive. I didn’t know they knew anything about my anything.”
As tensions surrounding the sitcom mounted, the comedian said he struggled with a devastating mental health crisis that pushed him to the brink and prompted a desperate message to a loved one.
“I had a nervous breakdown, and I was going to commit suicide,” he recalled. “I reached out to Susie and I said, ‘I hate when people don’t reach out, but at noon today I will be dead. I’m letting you know I will be dead.'”
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“And she called [ex-wife] Marla, and she called [girlfriend] Sari, and my friend Brad Morris,” Garlin explained. “My girlfriend and my ex-wife called him. He’s one of my best friends. He watched me while they were looking for a place for me to go.”
Garlin said he traveled to Cincinnati in the dead of winter to seek treatment, where he underwent dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). He credited the treatment with helping him overcome his suicidal thoughts and regain enough stability to move forward with his life.
“I went to Cincinnati because I was serious,” he explained. “I’m not going to some rehab in Beverly Hills. F— that, man.”
Garlin said he continued rebuilding his life through Alcoholics Anonymous, dialectical behavior therapy, regular counseling, boxing, physical fitness and creative projects that helped support his mental health and overall well-being.
“And I’m just now, this is from five years ago, whatever,” he explained. “I’m just now feeling really good. Just now. Maybe the book coming out, but around now, really.”
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Garlin exited “The Goldbergs” in 2021 during the ninth season after allegations of misconduct on set and an HR investigation.
“I used to, over the years, wonder why people would avoid me when I was manic,” he said. “Most of the crew enjoyed me being funny, but there were some I could see, like, ‘What’s their hesitation? That’s so weird.'”
“And then other days I’d go home and go, ‘Why was I apologizing all day?’ I didn’t understand. ‘I’m a nice guy. Why am I apologizing?’ And then other days I just couldn’t feel anything. I was just dark. It was blackness around me, even if I drove home in the afternoon.”